S73P4 – A simple Gospel: life’s foundation
Eph. 6:14-15
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
During my time in the world, I encountered one issue which resurfaced over and over. No matter how much I tried to establish myself, it seemed as if I just could not get a good footing in life. None of my successes made me feel like I had a handle on things. It was as if stability was impossible to find. My place in the world seemed tenuous and undefined, and I felt like I belong nowhere. The world is so chaotic, and I could find no way to live outside that chaos. For me, life was like walking on ice. Just when I thought I was moving along securely, I would slip and fall. The reason I could not find my footing was that I did not have the proper foundation.
Putting on the Gospel of peace as a pair of shoes on our spiritual feet has everything to do with our being prepared to move successfully through this world. To wear those shoes means to retain and live the Gospel message. The good news is not merely something we know and share, but it is the way we live. Because we know that good news, we are able to walk through this chaos and craziness with a peace which can come only from Jesus Christ. That is the source of our stability. The Gospel is the foundation for our standing upright and pure in this world. Without it we will not be prepared to combat what the world throws our way. If we are missing this necessary foundation, the remainder of our armor loses its effectiveness.
When we are living a Gospel lifestyle, we then will be ready for what God has for us to do. Trying to tackle this life without the right foundation of peace is like running a marathon with no footwear. One might not finish well or finish at all. Those shoes are necessary for that race just like the peace of the Gospel is necessary for our spiritual race. Without it we are walking on ice, slipping and floundering with no footing. Let us focus on not only knowing the good news but learning to live in the peace it offers. Father, help us to live lives which are founded in the peace of the Gospel, and let that be evident to those who see how we live.